filler: Pressure Short Filler, VS75
by Voyager Season 7.5
Summary: Short, but fun short story that is only sort-of related to the series!


FillerPressure, by Rocky   
  
"Oh, God, Harry, we're never going to finish."   
"Relax, Tom, we'll make it. What time is it now?"   
"Less than one and a half hours before the deadline."   
"See, plenty of time."   
"Do you practice this?"   
"Practice what?"   
"Your little Pollyana act, 'everything will be fine, don't worry about a thing,   
we've got this massive report that has to be on the captain's desk in a little   
more than an hour and if we don't we're screwed for life, but hey, not to worry,   
everything's cool.' That act."   
"You know, I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, Tom, but it would have been a   
better if you'd started worrying about this earlier. Like a few days ago, at the   
very least. I won't even mention the fact that we knew about this report, and   
its deadline, weeks ago."   
"Hey, It's not like I neglected it on purpose. I've been busy."   
"Yeah, very busy."   
"What's that supposed to mean? I basically have two jobs around here. Chief   
flight conn officer, *and* medical assistant. You know what it's like pulling   
double shifts so many days a week?"   
"No, not at all Tom. I *never* work double shifts. Oh, no..."   
"Yeah, yeah, I know--after a long day on your feet at Ops, you're busy warming   
the center seat on the bridge during Gamma shift."   
"Laugh if you like, Tom, but it's an important responsibility."   
"Real important--nothing ever happens during Gamma shift. It's like we've got a   
'sleeping, do not disturb sign' hanging over the deflector dish. How many aliens   
ever attack at night? Huh?"   
"There've been a few."   
"Yeah, and if anything ever does happen you get right on the horn and call for   
backup and less than two minutes later the captain comes bursting out of the   
turbo lift and you're off the hook."   
"I've handled some situations on my own!"   
"Sure you have, Harry."   
"Anyway, it's good command experience. And it'll come in handy later on..."   
"Not if we get busted down to crewman for not having this report done on   
time..."   
"Don't look at me. You know how many evenings I tried to tell you we needed to   
work on this thing?"   
"My evenings are taken, Harry. I'm a married man after all. Especially now with   
B'Elanna in her condition, I've got to spend most of my evenings at home."   
"Ha! Don't make me laugh. I know for a fact you spent 3 out of the last 4   
evenings on the Holodeck. And don't tell me B'Elanna was there with you playing   
Captain Proton."   
"Jealous, Harry? Relax. You know I'd never run the Proton program with anyone   
else."   
"Stop trying to change the subject. Admit it, Tom you've been fooling around,   
wasting time, and now we've both got to pay the penalty."   
"OK. You've made your point."   
"Good. How're we doing?"   
"We've still got another 45 minutes."   
"I'm writing as fast as I can."   
"Me, too."   
"And by the way, that was a real low stunt to pull, trying to blame your   
irresponsibility on B'Elanna."   
"Yeah, I guess...in all seriousness, Harry, being married does mean spending   
some quality time with your wife."   
"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that of course."   
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply..."   
"Sure you did, Tom, but I'm used to it by now."   
"I really am sorry."   
"It's OK. I don't exactly have a stellar track record of romantic successes."   
"Don't be so discouraged, Harry. Maybe one day..."   
"Maybe what? You think after seven years there's anyone on this ship I haven't   
dated? Or at least tried to?"   
"Sam Wildman."   
"She's married."   
"The captain."   
"Real funny, Tom."   
"OK, OK. Seriously, you've gone out with everyone else?"   
"Everyone female."   
"Wow. And they called me the 'Voyager Cassanova.'"   
"Called you what?   
"Never mind...*Everyone*? Hey, I just thought of something. That would mean you   
also must've dated B'Elanna."   
"You know, Tom, we've got less than 15 minutes left..."   
"Now who's trying to change the subject?"   
"All right. No, I never went out with B'Elanna. At least not on a 'date' date.   
Just as friends, nothing more."   
"But you wanted to?"   
"Just at the beginning. She was smart and cute and feisty...."   
"Oh, yeah."   
"And despite her toughness, she seemed kind of vulnerable inside."   
"Yep. You know, she'd break both your legs if she heard you say that."   
"I guess you speak from experience, huh?"   
"That's going to be feel like a faint tickle when the captain gets through with   
us! Geez, I can't *believe* this is happening to me."   
"To us."   
"Yeah, whatever. How much more you got left, by the way?"   
"Just a little bit more."   
"Really?"   
"No, I'm lying, Tom."   
"Thought so. When I look at how much more I have to do..."   
"Well, it doesn't matter. Time's almost up. Whatever we've got, we've got."   
"How can you be so calm? We're about to blow a major deadline."   
"Look, we'll just give her what we've got. What else can we do? We gave it our   
best shot..."   
"It doesn't feel like it's our best shot...Time?"   
"Two more minutes."   
"OK, OK. I think I'm almost there."   
"Good...me, too. There."   
"And... done."   
"Now to just hand her the PADDS..."   
"Figure she's still in her Ready Room, waiting? She did say she wanted our   
report on her desk by 23:59...."   
"Let's go."   
"Try not to drop any of those. I worked hard on that stuff."   
"Sure you did, Tom."   
"Don't start that again."   
"It's locked."   
"What?"   
"The Ready Room door. Locked. She's not here."   
"Oh, come on. After all that? Where the hell is she, then?"   
"Probably in her quarters. It *is* after midnight, Tom."   
"You think she just went to sleep, knowing we were slaving away here, busting   
our balls to get this finished and handed in to her on time? She's capable of   
such cruelty?"   
"Captain Janeway? Yeah."   
"I think you're right. OK, here we are, captain's quarters. "   
"You want to do the honors?"   
"Sure, I'll signal."   
"No answer. Maybe she *is* sleeping."   
"No...I don't believe it. Something might be wrong with the mechanism. I'm going   
to knock."   
"Tom! If she really is asleep...."   
"Wait, I think I hear voices."   
"Maybe she's reading out loud to herself..."   
"Or maybe..."   
"Mr. Kim, Mr. Paris, what can I do for you?"   
"Uh, sorry to disturb you, Captain, but you said you wanted our report..."   
"Report? Oh, yes! Thank you. I must say, that's awfully diligent of you to show   
up here at this hour..."   
"Well, we knew how important this report was and how you really needed us to get   
it in before deadline."   
"Deadline? Oh, yes. Well, thanks once again, gentlemen. I'll see you on the   
bridge in the morning. Good night."   
"Whew! All's well that ends well, Tom. See? And you were worried..."   
"*I* was worried?"   
"Fine. We both were. You were awfully quiet there, by the way, when the Captain   
came to the door. You didn't say one word to her. Want to tell me what's on your   
mind?"   
"Nothing."   
"Come on, Tom, I know you too well. There's obviously something."   
"I'd better not say anything."   
"About what?"   
"After all, I could be wrong..."   
"Tom!"   
"OK. Did you see how she was dressed?"   
"She was wearing a bathrobe."   
"And her hair?"   
"Huh?"   
"It was all mussed-up looking."   
"It's the middle of the night, Tom, we probably woke her up."   
"I'm not too sure about that."   
"What do you mean?"   
"Remember how it sounded like there were voices coming from her cabin?"   
"That doesn't mean anything."   
"By itself, maybe not. But did you get a look inside?"   
"No, not really, she was standing in the doorway and kind of blocking my   
view..."   
"Yes, from your angle. But I could see in, over her shoulder."   
"And?"   
"There was an open bottle of cider on the table."   
"So maybe she was having a nightcap before going to bed."   
"And two glasses."   
"Really?"   
"Yes. Close your mouth, Harry, before you catch something."   
"You don't mean to say you think it was..."   
"Yep."   
"The captain and..."   
"Who else drinks that stuff?"   
"OK, I'm not going any further with this. Good night, Tom."   
"Come on, Harry, do you know what this means?"   
"It means that any rumors that get started will land us in a hell of a lot more   
trouble than just being late with a lousy report!"   
"Harry, Harry, Harry...think of the possibilities."   
"What possibilities?"   
"The betting pool! We can really clean up, if we get in before any of this   
becomes public knowledge."   
"Oh, no. Count me out. I don't want any part of this."   
"What's the matter, Harry? Afraid of a little pressure?"   
"There's pressure, and then there's pressure. Good night, Tom."   
"Oh, fine, be a spoilsport. If you hadn't just saved my---"   
"But I did. So you owe me one. Good night, Tom."   
"Good night, Harry."   
  
FINIS 


End file.
